Very behind...

I know I'm way behind on updates to this blog... Everyone always says you'll find it much more difficult to keep up with things like scrapbooking and housework when you have two kids...everyone was right! I don't take any less pictures, in fact I probably take more now of both kids than I ever would've thought possible - I just don't seem to have time to post them like I want to! We were finally able to slow down for a family photo session in August though. Marty and Michelle Lenger met us out at Holland State Park on a beautiful Sunday evening and took a ton of pictures for us - family photos, Kylah's 3 year pictures, and Conner's 3 month pictures. I was so impressed not only with how great the pictures turned out, but with how well both kids cooperated that evening! I couldn't have asked for a better evening all around. And a special thank you to Marty and Michelle for your time and talent, again!

**I have no idea how to get rid of the "Adopt a Pet" add on this slide show, so just click on the little x in the upper right corner when it appears to get rid of it. And - if the slide show isn't showing pictures for you, click on View All Images to see them. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

Meet our newest family member...Jake

About a month ago Kylah started asking us for a "new doggy". She wanted one to come live with us, and her specifications were that it be big and brown. The more she talked about wanting one, the more Craig and I started really considering the idea. With a baby on the way and Craig traveling a lot for work, I was really hesitant. However, after 1 trip to the Muskegon Vector Clinic (the pound), I was easily convinced getting a dog would be good for all of us. I was reminded again of how much love we felt for Riley, and how much closer he brought us all together by keeping us home more and teaching us about unconditional love. Plus, having a dog would not only serve as protection when Craig's gone, but as a playmate for Kylah as she patiently waits for Conner to arrive and then be able to really play with her.

So on Thursday, April 1st we took a drive to the clinic in Muskegon to "look" at our options. We spent hours playing with four different retreivers, the first 3 were Labrador Retrievers each about 1 year old. The 4th dog was a Chocolate Chesapeake Bay Retriever about 3 years old who instantly won my heart over. He was great with us, great with Kylah, didn't jump, lick, or bite, knew several commands (sit, stay, leave it, shake with both paws, etc), LOVED playing fetch with a tennis ball, and could also lay down and just relax. We learned all of this in the 45 minutes we had with him. Upon leaving, we signed the paperwork and paid the fee to adopt him with the intention of going back Saturday to pick him up, as we were no where near prepared at home for his arrival. So guess what we spent Friday doing? Picking up a dog kennel (thanks to Craig's List, we got a steal of a deal on a new one!), dog food, toys, a new collar, etc. Kylah was SO excited for her new doggy to come home and live with her - she helped daddy with EVERYTHING.

Friday - preparing for Jake's arrival:

Saturday - picking up Jake and bringing him home:

Kylah calls Jake her "best friend" and tells him she loves him every night before going to bed. He is so good with her, let's her play in his food, pull his tail, lay on him, etc. Every night before we put him in the kennel for bed he goes into her bedroom and falls asleep next to her bed. Every morning he goes in her room and lays quietly next to her bed just waiting for her to wake up. Her eyes light up when she sees he's in there with her - it's honestly one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

I'm convinced that Jake was only a stray because he ran away, and not because someone neglected or abused him. He is extremely well behaved, house broken, great with both kids and people, and is very relaxed with us. He's not jumpy or easily agitated, and he's very cuddly - loves to have his belly rubbed. He's in really good condition - solid muscle, but could stand to gain about 10-15 pounds over time. We're happy with our decision to adopt him; he's been a wonderful addition to our family and I know he'll do well with Conner when he arrives too!

FINALLY...

Here's the post I've been meaning to get to all month, finally :)

In January we took a family vacation with Grandma & Grandpa T and Uncle Mark up to Boyne. Although I had a terrible cold, we still had a lot of fun together. On Saturday, the sun was shining, it wasn't very cold out, and the guys decided to take Kylah skiing for the first time. She was excited to put on her snow gear, but definitely wasn't happy about the ski boots. I can't say I blame her, they aren't the most comfortable things to wear! Once we got outside, she perked up right away - until we clipped her into the skis. Again, awkward for a 2 year old to be trapped on something like that...



However - once daddy got her comfortably situated on the "magic carpet" and they got to the top of the hill, she stopped crying and actually had fun going down!
She made it down the hill twice, and had enough. She was all smiles when we told her she could take the skis off :)Since watching skiing on the Olympics, she's let both of us know that she wants to ski again herself. We'll have to get her back on the hill before winter ends to see how she does the second time around!

On Sunday the boys skiied again, while Grandma and I took Kylah to Avalanche Bay, the indoor waterpark. Kylah absolutely loved every minute of being there. Her favorite was the lazy river, trying to avoid the waterfalls while watching Grandma get soaked! Unfortunately our pictures from this didn't turn out so well, but we did get a few to remember the experience by.

A little nervous at first, but she quickly got over that once we got in the water! We stayed for 4 hours, until her little fingers and toes looked like raisins :)

Overall, it was a great little vacation for us all, and Kylah still talks about it all the time. She's so excited for the summer now when she can swim some more, and I know we are too!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent Thanksgiving this year with Craig's family, and had a great time together. Craig's family from Wisconsin came to visit, as well as his Uncle Duane from Nevada - such a great surprise! Dad T made a fantastic Thanksgiving meal for us all at their house in Lansing, and then Uncle Carey, Craig and Duane cooked a fabulous meal for us on Saturday at our house. We definitely ate well, and enjoyed each other's company all weekend. Can't wait til we see you all again!

Happy Easter!

After a few days of Easter celebration, Kylah is completely wiped out! She went down for a nap at 10:30am today...it's now 1:30pm and she's still sleeping. Although we've been very busy, we've had a lot of fun with all sides of our family the past few days.

Easter started with Kylah's day care party. Eating cookies, decorating hard boiled eggs, and then the ultimate easter egg hunt with all her friends!


She found the first egg, but didn't understand to put it in the basket. We switched her basket for a zip lock bag and she started to get the idea. She found about 3 eggs by herself, and the rest of the kids filled her bag for her.

On Easter Sunday, we got up early and went to Church. Afterwards we met my mom's side of the family for brunch, and then spent the rest of the day with Craig's family in Lansing. The Easter bunny visited Kylah twice yesterday! She's one lucky little girl...

All ready for church!

Kylah and Caleb after breakfast...he was fixing her hair (or petting her?)!

Kylah got a camera and a phone in her Easter basket, along with a whole bunch of other things she loved!

Fortunately, the weather was beautiful so we were able to take a family walk in the afternoon too. It was so nice to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine again!

Hopefully you all had a great Easter holiday too!

Can't forget this one!

I know, I know... It's February. I should've posted these pictures back in January, but I honestly lost track of time. Just after New Years our family from Texas came to visit. We had another Christmas celebration, went out to dinner, saw movies, played pool/rock band/bowling/catch phrase for hours, and just had a really good time together. Kylah loved spending time with her cousins Caleb and Brent again!

A very busy weekend

Wow - between Thursday and Sunday this past weekend we were extremely busy! All fun things going on though...our Aunt Tami and Uncle Randy from Texas were in town so we spent a lot of time with family.

It all started on Thursday with a bath for Kylah, one which Riley tried to join:

Then the whole family (all 16 people!) came over for dinner, and Kylah got to play with her cousin Caleb:

Friday night we went to a Whitecaps game together:

Saturday Craig and I went to our friends wedding while Grandma and Grandpa Winkler watched Kylah. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was so much fun!

Congratulations Jeff & Ashley

On Sunday we took our whole family out to the marina for the day. The weather was absolutely perfect for boating and swimming - we swam in both the pool and Spring Lake!

Last night we all went to Blue Water Grill for dinner out on the back porch overlooking the water. Great food and great company, as always. The fun isn't ending yet though - tonight we're going to Bonefish Grill for Ashley's 21st Birthday :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!